UNDERSTANDING REHABILITATION NEEDS OF DISPLACED PERSONS

N. O'Reilly¹, S. Cunningham^2,1, R. Lowe¹

¹Physiopedia, London, United Kingdom, ²Radford University, Physical Therapy, Roanoke, United States

Background: The need for rehabilitation services to meet the needs of displaced persons at each stage of the migration process is an urgent and growing global issue. In 2021, 89.3 million people were forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, fear of persecution, and human rights violations. Current evidence suggests that this number will continue to rise, with over 100 million people displaced in 2022. The impact of forced migration on health and well-being is contributing to rapid global increases in the number of people experiencing a decline in functioning, resulting in enormous unmet rehabilitation needs. Much of these unmet needs are concentrated amongst the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Low- and middle-income countries host 83% of all displaced persons, with 27% hosted in the least developed countries. These countries are often ill-equipped to cope with the increasing need for rehabilitation services.

Purpose: To assist professionals in understanding the rehabilitation needs of displaced persons through a series of courses designed to provide a comprehensive perspective on the effects of displacement on health and well-being.

Methods: An eight-week long massive open online course (MOOC), comprised of seven courses, was provided during September and October 2022, with the aim of developing a comprehensive program to equip rehabilitation professionals with a far-reaching knowledge of rehabilitation for displaced persons to enable participants to play a proactive role in global and local interdisciplinary efforts to increase access to high-quality rehabilitation for displaced persons through all stages of the migration process.
Data from a pre and post-course Knowledge and Competency Self-Rating Tool was analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched pairs test. In addition, a thematic analysis was performed using the discussion board postings performed by the participants throughout the course.

Results: 868 individuals completed the Pre-Course Knowledge and Competency Self-Rating Tool from 94 countries, with 796 individuals from 88 countries starting Course 1 and 335 individuals from 58 countries starting Course 7. The Post-Course Knowledge and Competency Self-Rating Tool was completed by 127 individuals from 33 countries. A statistically significant improvement (p<.004) in participant scores on 19 of the 20 questions was noted. The discussion forums have provided an overview of barriers and challenges that rehabilitation workers currently face when providing rehabilitation services for displaced persons. Many creative solutions to increase access to services were highlighted by participants.

Conclusions: The MOOC was successful in providing participants with knowledge and insight into the unique needs of displaced persons. The courses were not only effective in providing professionals knowledge regarding understanding the rehabilitation needs of displaced persons, but participants also created a community of practice for the exchange of ideas in a rapidly changing global environment.

Implications: Providing insight into the unique healthcare needs of displaced persons and the challenges faced when providing care to this population may assist rehabilitation professionals in developing patient-centered care plans to maximize social and physical well-being of their patients.

Funding acknowledgements: This publication is made possible by USAID through the Learning Acting Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) project.

Keywords:
Displaced Perspns
Rehabilitation
Education

Topics:
Globalisation: health systems, policies & strategies
Community based rehabilitation
Disaster management

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Johns Hopkins School of Pubic Health

Committee: Institutional Review Board

Ethics number: 21399